


Guiding Light

by cantdrawshaw



Series: Blind!Kara AU [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Because Have You Met Me, Disabled Character, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Slow Burn, but there's fluff too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-10-10 03:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10428258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantdrawshaw/pseuds/cantdrawshaw
Summary: Lena Luthor was working hard to make a good name for her company, starting with one of the newest innovations in cellular technology - a phone designed specifically for the blind or deaf. She was very glad to hear how much her product was helping people,especiallyfrom the gorgeous stranger she ran into on the street one day. Lena could never have imagined how that first meeting with Kara Danvers was going to change her life forever.Or: a No Powers/Human AU where Kara is blind and Lena is still gay from the get-go.





	1. In which Lena runs into Kara, and a partnership ensues

**Author's Note:**

> As it says in the summary, Kara is a human in this story. There are also no aliens mentioned in this because 1) I didn't think it was relevant to the story beyond maybe Alex's job, but I'm just gonna say she works for a government agency, and 2) I didn't want to write out of my depth. 
> 
> Also, everything will be explained. It's all Lena's POV.

Lena Luthor was having a fantastic day.

L-Corp’s newest product, the L-Phone, had only been out for two weeks now, but in that short amount of time, they had already sold double the amount that they had projected for the first month. The L-Phone was a cell phone that anybody could use, but it had been designed specifically for people with any degree of vision or hearing loss, the first of its kind. It was also affordable, costing the same as any normal phone.

With all the different smartphones out there, Lena was pretty surprised that no one had addressed the matter sooner. But seeing that all the other businesses out there prioritized the abled over the disabled, Lena had decided to take matters into her own hands. And so far, it had proved to be a smashing success for her company. Not only that, the L-Phone was the first product that had been launched since Lena had taken over and turned L-Corp in a new direction, away from her brother’s tainted history. So she was very proud of that.

She had just finished up with a celebratory lunch with the designers and business men and women who had helped work with her to get the phone on the market. The bubbly energy from the meal had taken root in her, so she was in high spirits as she made her way back to her office. She was sure people were giving her odd looks as she walked by, what with how much she was smiling. But she was too euphoric to care.

She was also so lost in thought that she wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings. So she didn’t really notice the person standing in the middle of her path. Lena only registered the roadblock when she got close enough to see the details of the woman’s blue sweater – her eyes focusing in on a loose thread near the collar – but by then it was too late. She smacked right into the woman’s back, knocking them both forward with the momentum.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena said quickly, before she could really process the situation. “I wasn’t looking-”

She cut off as her eyes took in the woman she had just so rudely ran into. Even from behind, Lena could tell she was gorgeous. The stranger had her blonde hair pulled back in a nice braid, and she was wearing a pressed pair of khakis and a white button-up under her sweater. She turned as Lena started to speak, and that was when Lena noticed the dark glasses and the white cane she was holding.

 _I am an idiot_ , Lena mentally kicked herself. _An idiot. A stupid, stupid idiot._ “I’m so sorry,” she repeated, trying to think of something else to say. She was tongue-tied at how beautiful the woman was, and somewhat glad that the woman couldn’t see how much she was staring, and starting to hope the ground would just open up and swallow her.

“It’s okay!” the woman said, a smile proving her point. Lena felt herself swallow at the sight of it, noticing how it lit up her face, and the way her nose crinkled with it. And the way her hair was reflecting the sunlight, and how the sweater fit her figure, and the-

 _Now is not the time, Lena. You can only be gay about meeting a pretty girl if you_ don’t _make a fool of yourself first._

“No harm, no foul,” the stranger continued, oblivious to Lena’s internal short-circuiting. “I can tell you didn’t mean it. Besides, it was probably my fault. I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk.”

“No!” Lena cleared her throat, shaking herself out of her daze. “It’s my fault, really.” She decided to change the subject so she wouldn’t have to explain and make it more awkward for herself. _Business, Lena. Be the professional you actually are._ “But anyway, do you need help with something? Is that why you were standing here?”

The woman reached up and adjusted her glasses as a low flush colored her cheeks. “Yeah, actually,” she said. “I’m trying to get to L-Corp, but I guess I’ve gotten a little turned around. I know I’m close, but could you tell me where it is?”

The woman was fidgeting slightly on her feet, and Lena had to bite her lip to keep from saying how adorable she thought she was. She was elated that they were going to the same destination, but she tried to play it cool. “That’s actually where I’m headed as well. I could walk with you, if you like.”

“Really? That’d be great!” The woman’s smile seemed even wider than before, if that was even possible. “I’m Kara, by the way. Kara Danvers” Her brows scrunched together, and she cleared her throat.  “With CatCo Worldwide Media,” she added seriously, almost as if it were an afterthought. She held out her hand, which Lena shook, noticing how strong her grip was.

 _Kara_. Even her name was pretty, and it fit her perfectly. “Well, Kara Danvers from CatCo, it is very nice to meet you. I’m Lena.” For some reason, Lena found herself unable to add to that. She didn’t think she could take it if Kara cringed away from her at hearing her last name. So she quickly moved on. “Would you like my arm?”

At Kara’s nod, Lena reached out and lightly touched the back of the woman’s hand so she could orient herself. Kara quickly found her elbow and took hold, moving so she was slightly behind Lena. “Thank you. Ready!” she said.

They arrived in a couple minutes, Kara laughing at realizing where she went wrong. Lena laughed with her politely as they made their way into the lobby. “So, where are you headed?” Lena asked. “I bet I can lead you in the right direction.”

Kara’s head tilted, her lips pursing in confusion. “Oh? Do you work here?"

Lena couldn’t quite stop the bitter chuckle that followed. “Yes, you could say that.” It was refreshing that Kara didn’t seem to realize who she was, but she probably wouldn’t be able to keep that up for very long.

“Well, do you know who’s in charge of-” Kara paused as she rummaged around in her pocket for a few seconds. “-in charge of these?” she asked, holding up the object she had pulled out.

It was an L-Phone, new and shiny in a blue and red case with a gold band in the middle. Lena couldn’t help but chuckle again at the sight. It looked like the charade was up. Might as well get it over with quickly. “Well, Kara Danvers, it seems circumstance is on your side today. I’m actually in charge of that particular project. Lena Luthor, at your service.”

To Lena’s surprise, Kara didn’t cringe, or give her a pity-filled grimace, or make up some excuse as to why she had to leave. She did none of the things that Lena had gotten so used to in the last couple months. Instead, she smacked herself on the forehead and groaned. “Of course. I’m an idiot. How many Lenas could there be? I even thought I recognized your voice from the news a couple weeks ago.”

She looked about one second away from hitting herself again, so Lena rushed to interject. “It’s not your fault. I’m just so used to the bad reactions when someone hears my last name, so I didn’t tell you right away. I didn’t want you to run.”

“I wouldn’t do that! I know there’s a lot of bad rep with what happened with your brother and all, but that doesn’t mean you’re the same way. Especially if you are the one who came up this phone. I already know whoever designed it is a good person. Someone who truly cares about everyone and wants to help them.”

Lena felt herself blush, but she played it off. “Oh? So you’re not here to give me a scathing review of my product?”

“Of course not!” Kara seemed flabbergasted at the idea. “I came to thank you! And well, also to ask you something.”

“In that case, why don’t we continue this conversation in my office? I would love to hear your opinion, Kara Danvers.”

Once again, Lena was the subject of one of Kara’s breath-taking – in Lena’s personal opinion, thank you very much – grins. “Sure,” Kara said. “Sounds great!”

…

They made their way to Lena’s office, Kara’s childlike enthusiasm in the elevator (“I want to push the button! What floor is your office on, Lena?”) leaving Lena internally gushing over the cuteness of the woman she had just met. She led Kara to the couch, and after making sure she was comfortable and offering her a choice in drinks (“Just some water, please. Thank you.”), Lena sat beside her, turned so she was facing the other woman.

Kara took a drink, setting the glass in her lap afterward. “I’m impressed. You seem like you really know what you’re doing, Lena, guiding me. Do you know somebody else who is blind?”

“No, actually. But I made sure to pay attention to our consultants when we were running tests on the L-Phone, and I’ve done a little research on sighted guides. So it’s paid off, then?”

“Definitely!” Kara assured her. “I shouldn’t be surprised, though, now that I know you created the best phone I’ve ever used.”

Lena felt her face flush again. What was it about this woman that was making her feel she was twelve years old again with a school-girl crush? “Well, I am a bit of an engineering nerd, but I did have a lot of help,” she said, trying for a degree of modesty.

Kara seemed too excited to be convinced, however. “Seriously, you’ve changed my life already. I’ve tried cell phones before, and while they were great for calling people, I never really got the hang of using them for anything else. But now it’s so easy! I can look things up on the Internet, and take notes, and finally, _finally_ have an easy way to text people! I can actually communicate with Alex now when she’s at work and can’t necessarily take calls.”

“I’m really glad it’s helping you, Kara. Is Alex a co-worker?”

“Oh, right!” Kara grinned. “No, Alex is my older sister. She’s the absolute best. We’re technically not related because I’m adopted, but we might as well be.”

The young woman seemed to be gushing even more at the thought of her sister, but it was the latter part of her statement that piqued Lena’s curiosity. “You’re adopted?” she asked. “So am I.”

“Really?” Kara inquired. “I didn’t know that. Then we have that in common!”

“Yeah, the Luthors took me in when I was little, after my mom died. What about you?”

For the first time, Kara seemed to deflate a little, and Lena regretted asking instantly. “I was – I was in a car accident when I was 13. The Danvers adopted me soon after,” Kara said quietly, seeming reluctant to say more.

Lena rushed to change the topic, not wanting to stir up any painful memories. She could certainly relate a difficult childhood. “You said you wanted to ask me something, right? I’m guessing it has something to do with CatCo.”

Kara perked up immediately, much to Lena’s relief. “Yeah! I guess I should explain a little about what I do. I work for Cat Grant as a… sort of an assistant/consultant. I help make sure the news and the stories she publishes are accessible to everyone, not just people who can just see them on the TV or read them in the papers.”

“That sounds fascinating,” Lena remarked, resting her head on her hand. A little part of her brain was making fun of her for how enrapt she was by this Kara Danvers. “And very important. What kind of stuff do you do?”

“Well, I mainly work with the vision side of things, of course. I help make sure there are audio recordings of all the stories we publish and make sure the website is fully navigable even if you can’t see it. I also help make sure the news stories are understandable for the most part without having to see any visuals. But I also work with the ASL consultants and make sure there are interpreters at any special events we have. Stuff like that.”

Lena sank even further into the sofa, thoroughly impressed. “That’s-” She was at a loss for words. “That’s wonderful, Kara. Wow.”

“Thanks,” Kara said, her face turning pink. She adjusted her glasses again, something about the motion catching Lena’s eye. It made her wonder if Kara hadn’t always been blind and if it was a habit left over from a time when she could actually see out of her glasses. How much Lena wanted to learn about this woman, and they hadn’t even known each other for all of an hour.

Kara cleared her throat. “So I’m here because Ms. Grant wants to develop a news app that’s compatible with the L-Phone, and she’s put me in charge of the project. I was wondering if you would be willing to work with me on it? I mean, not- not _you_ specifically, as I’m sure you’re very busy with much more important things, but maybe somebody at L-Corp could hel-”

Kara was effectively interrupted as Lena placed her hand on her knee. “I would love to help you,” Lena said, failing to keep the excitement from her voice. “That sounds exactly like the kind of project I want L-Corp to be involved with.”

 _And spending more time with you is exactly the kind of thing_ I _want to be involved with._

“Really?” Kara asked. “That’s great! We can-”

Kara was interrupted by her phone, which suddenly said: “Call from Ms. Grant” before starting to ring. Kara quickly hit the power button twice to ignore it. “Sorry about that. Looks like that’s my cue to head back. Maybe we could talk more about this later this week?”

“That sounds fine. I don’t want to bring the wrath of Cat Grant down on you.”

Kara laughed, and it was music to Lena’s ears. “She’s really not that bad, once you get to know her. Okay, no, that’s a lie. She can be worse if you get to know her, especially if she likes you. But I have a good handle on dealing with her.”

Lena stood with Kara and walked her out of the office. “That’s good, then. Wouldn’t want my new business partner to get in trouble before we even start working together.”

 Kara grinned as they waited in front of the elevator. “That reminds me. Can I give you my number? That way we can contact each other.”

Lena’s heart stuttered, her brain short-circuiting for a moment. “Of course,” she said. She felt around her skirt before she remembered what pocket her phone was in. She got a hold of herself and managed to enter Kara’s number, sending a quick hello to make sure she got it right. Kara’s phone chimed in confirmation.

“Perfect!” Kara said, just as the elevator reached their floor. “I’m working with my friend Winn in the IT department, so I’ll let him know right away that you’re on board. And then I can get in touch with you tomorrow maybe, if that sounds good?”

“Yes, that sounds lovely. I look forward to hearing from you, Kara.” Lena took her hand and gave it a firm shake. “Thank you so much for stopping by to see me.”

“It was my pleasure!” Kara grinned in her direction the entire time the doors were closing and Lena laughed when she heard a muffled “Bye, Lena! It was nice to meet you!”  

Lena made her way back to her office, sitting down at her desk. She had a mountain of paperwork to complete and a meeting in a half hour. She thought of Kara’s smile and let out a happy sigh. She couldn't wait to hear from her.

What a wonderful day it was turning out to be, indeed.


	2. In which a phone app and friendships are developed

The next few weeks were a blissful blur for Lena. She met with Kara and her friend Winn from IT later that first week, and they all immediately hit it off. The plans for the app were quickly made, Winn surprising Lena with how skilled he was at coding. Within the next week and a half, the app was in its prototype phase, and Kara, along with some volunteers that had worked on the L-Phone, began testing it.

The best part about it, though, was the fact that Kara and Lena began to spend a lot of time together, much to Lena’s delight. Kara Danvers was an absolute treasure, and Lena was so glad fortune had brought the other woman into her life. Kara also introduced her to her sister, Alex, and her friend and fellow employee, James Olsen, who was the head of the photo department at CatCo. Lena was suddenly spending more time with people she actually liked than she ever had in her life.

Lena hadn’t had a normal childhood. Growing up, her only real friend had been her brother, Lex. And after he lost his mind and she found out about all his betrayals, she questioned whether or not she could even count that. Either way, she did not have much experience in the ‘friendship’ department. So, the whole thing was a wonderful new adventure for her.

Like the way Kara invited her out for lunch all the time, or the way she got to know just how much of a nerd Winn really was when they both pulled late nights to work on the app, or when she realized James was usually present at a lot of the special events she had to attend, and he started seeking her out so they could talk. Or how Kara texted her just to ask how her day was going, or tell her something funny that had happened, or just to talk about something on her mind.

Lena had never known she could be this happy, and for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel alone, or as if she didn’t belong.

So when Kara invited her to what she termed “Game Night” at her apartment, Lena had happily agreed to be there. The day of, the prospect of seeing Kara bolstered her spirits so much that she didn’t even care that her schedule was packed with meetings. She did care, however, when her last meeting ran way over time, and she had to rush to get to Kara’s.

She looked at her watch as she took the elevator to Kara’s floor. She was over an hour late and hoped nobody would mind. Her nerves were a little frazzled, though, and she couldn’t help but think that they hadn’t waited for her, or even noticed her absence.

So when the door ripped open before she could even knock, Lena couldn’t help but jump. Kara was standing there, wearing a huge smile, something slightly different about her face. It took Lena a few seconds to realize that Kara wasn’t wearing her glasses, and for the first time, Lena could see her eyes. They were a steely blue, and _oh, so beautiful._

“Lena!” Kara squealed, quickly going in for a surprisingly strong hug. “You made it!” She turned her head and spoke behind her. “Told you guys!”

“Uh,” Lena sputtered, too overwhelmed for her brain to work properly. She could see James, Winn, and Alex all laughing behind Kara, lounged about in various positions.

“Don’t let her scare you, Lena,” James said from the couch. “Girl’s got ears like a bat. She hears everyone coming the second they step off the elevator. You’ll get used to it.”

“Yeah,” Alex said from the floor. “And she can move faster than most people when she wants to. And Kara, we were the ones that had to keep telling you she was coming!”

Kara released Lena completely then, letting Lena’s wiring system boot back up again. “I knew she was! I was just…” Kara trailed off, looking for a word. “Excited! Yeah. Too excited to wait.”

Alex laughed some more. “Whatever you want to go with. Now, are you going to let Lena in, or are you going to make her stand there the whole night?”

…

After Lena settled in on the couch next to James, Winn slid the pizza box her way and they all spent the next few minutes eating and catching up with each other. Kara and Alex fought over the last potsticker while James grabbed Lena a drink and Winn told them all about the extra work he was doing now that Cat actually had recognized his existence.  

Kara chimed in, mouth still full (she must have guilt-tripped Alex while Lena wasn’t looking), as she pulled a box up and placed it on the coffee table. “All right! Let’s play!” she exclaimed.

And so the competition commenced.

They were playing an advanced knowledge game, and while Lena had heard of it, she had never played. Despite her reservations in the beginning, it actually turned out to be very fun. She didn’t even feel the need to hold back too much, as there were some other very intelligent people in the room as well.

Alex and Winn could hold their own against her in the science questions, while Lena beat out everyone in the engineering and business categories. Winn blew them all away in the computer questions, of course, and Alex shocked Lena with how equally knowledgeable she was when it came to the tactical questions. (Just what did she do for a living anyway? Kara had never mentioned.)

Kara and James crushed them all when it came to the pop culture category. Lena supposed it was because they heard so much in their jobs at CatCo. James was the best at the sports questions too, and Kara surprised Lena with how much she knew about astronomy.

Eventually, Alex won, prompting a victory dance on her part and a huge groan and perfectly aimed pillow-shot from Kara. As Alex frowned at her sister, Lena couldn’t help but laugh at seeing how competitive they were. There was a retaliation shot, but Kara seemed to sense it and easily dodged from her position on the floor. It hit James instead, who was seated on the couch behind her.

With that, James stood up and offered to get everybody some more drinks, and they spent the rest of the night drinking and chatting amiably, playing round after round.

…

The guys were the first to leave, followed by Alex. That left just Lena and Kara sitting on the sofa. Lena felt too content to move at the moment, and Kara seemed to be feeling the same.

“This was so much fun,” Kara said, giving her a huge grin that lit up her face and made Lena feel weak in the knees. She was awestruck by how expressive Kara’s eyes were now that she could actually see them. “I’m glad you could come tonight.”

“Me too. I’ve never done something like this before. It was great.”

Kara tilted her head, her gaze seeming to stare right through Lena. “You’ve never played board games?”

Lena laughed, but she was too happy for it to sound bitter. “I did use to play chess with Lex a lot. But I’ve never had friends to play games with before. Or hang out with. Or anything, really.”

“Oh,” Kara said. “Well, now you do. And you’re officially invited to every Game Night from now on.”

“Thank you, Kara, truly. Meeting you has made my world brighter.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Kara mused cheerfully. “Lights when you need them the most.”

Lena ran her finger around the lip of the glass she was holding, thinking about that. Everyone had a light in them, she knew, but Kara’s was something else entirely.  

“Can I do something, Lena?” Kara asked suddenly, holding her hand up in front of Lena’s face. “I want to know how close the image in my head is of you.”

Lena understood what she was asking. She willed herself to remain calm. “Of course,” she said.

With that permission, Kara’s fingers connected with Lena’s skin, tracing her cheek. Her face crinkled in concentration as she made her way down to Lena’s chin, her touch ghosting over Lena’s lips.

Lena’s eyes closed almost unbidden. She couldn’t remember ever being touched like this: so intimately, and with such care. By someone who wanted to really know her, someone who cared enough to ask. She found herself swallowing thickly as Kara continued, overcome with sudden emotion.

From her chin, Kara moved up in the opposite direction, feeling the bridge of Lena’s nose and her cheekbones before lightly running over her closed eyelids and stopping at her hairline. Then Kara ran her fingers through Lena’s hair, her arm dropping down to her lap when she reached the end of the strand.

Lena opened her eyes slowly, skin still warm and tingly with the traces of Kara’s touch. She shook herself out of her daze. “So?”

Kara gave her a dazzling smile, and Lena felt her heart jump at the words that followed. “Just as I thought. You’re beautiful, Lena.”

She couldn’t think of anything to say in reply. She felt like she might choke on her own tongue if she tried. She scolded herself mentally. _Calm down, Lena. She does not mean it like that. Do not ruin the first real friendship you've ever had by saying something stupid now._

Kara’s forehead crinkled in the pending silence and she moved a little further away on the couch. “Sorry if that was weird. I just really wanted to know what you look like.”

Lena cleared her throat, a rational thought finally making it past her lips. “No, not at all. I’m glad you asked.”

“Oh good.” Kara laughed. “You did better than Winn. When I did that with him, he practically fainted.”

Lena chuckled. She knew from James that Winn had once had a crush on Kara. “I can perfectly imagine that.” _Who could blame him?_

They both fell silent then. Lena took a drink from the glass she had been nursing for a while, wondering if this was her cue to leave. She didn’t really want the night to end yet. She knew going back to her apartment would probably just bring back the emptiness that had been pushed down by the wonderful evening.

She looked up sharply as she felt a tap on her knee. Kara was close to her again. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

Not wanting to admit the self-pitying thoughts that had filled her mind all of the sudden, she blurted the first thing she could think of. “You seem to know a lot about the stars.”

Kara sat back into the couch cushions, a wistful smile filling her features. “Yeah, my parents were big into space. They taught me everything I know. It was one of the first things Alex and I could bond over. We used to go lay out on our roof in Midvale and look at the stars. When I was losing my vision, the night sky was the image I tried to memorize the most.”

Questions burned on her tongue, but Lena kept quiet. Although she had learned in the past weeks that Kara had been born with vision, she still didn’t know what made her go blind. Kara had also never mentioned her parents before, although Lena wasn’t going to bring that subject up, remembering what had happened when they first met.

Kara seemed to be getting there herself, though. “I never told you the story, did I?”

“No,” Lena said truthfully. “But you don’t have to, Kara.”

“But I want to,” Kara said, shaking her head. “You’re not like other people who just ask me as soon as they meet me. They’re always so insensitive and I just tell them the basics. But you’re different, Lena. So I want you to know.”

“Okay,” Lena said, grabbing her hand to show her she was listening.

Taking a deep breath, Kara started. “I told you I was in a car accident. My parents and I were in a head-on collision when a car swerved into our lane from the other side of the road. My parents and the other driver were killed instantly. I was in the back seat and somehow only suffered a few injuries. But I hit my head and found out later that it did a lot of nerve damage, and when I woke up in the hospital, I was blind in my left eye.

“The Danvers took me in and really helped me out with all the doctor’s visits and medical stuff. Alex didn’t like me much at first, but she helped me adjust when I went back to school and she was always there for me when I needed her. And we got along a lot better after the first year. Then I started having problems with my right eye, too. The doctors told me that they could prolong my sight as long as possible, but the nerve damage was irreversible. I was completely blind by the time I finished high school.”

Lena watched Kara’s face the entire time she told her story, feeling her heart sink with every added detail. Kara didn’t seem too upset, and she squeezed Lena’s hand as if to reassure her that it was okay. “It’s worked out,” she continued. “I couldn’t imagine my life going any other way. I have the chance now to use what happened to me in a way that can help people, and I’m very grateful for that.”

“It’s still awful to lose your family, Kara. I’m so sorry.”

Kara’s head tilted in acknowledgment, but she gave Lena a small smile. “I lost a family, yes. But I also gained a new one. Eliza’s been a great mom and although we lost Jeremiah a couple of years after my accident, he was the first one who made me feel welcome in my new world. I’ll always remember him for that. And I wouldn’t trade Alex for anything.”

Lena felt a sharp pain in her chest at that. _Must be nice, having people to actually take you into your family_ , she thought. _Knowing they love you_.

She didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud until she heard Kara inhale sharply. “You didn’t have that at all?” she asked quietly, seeming more distraught at Lena’s words than she had been with her own story.

Lena chastised herself, as she really didn’t mean to turn this back on herself, but Kara was looking at her worriedly, so she shrugged, knowing Kara could feel it through their entwined hands. “Lex was always the focus,” she admitted quietly. “My father was nice to me, but there was always some sort of guilt in his eyes. I knew it was because my mother didn’t really want me. She treated me coldly from the very beginning, even when she was saying kind things to me. I spent most of my childhood either in boarding school, or out of her sight. And it’s the same now, except the feelings are pretty much mutual.”

Kara leaned over and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Lena. I can't even imagine what that must be like. But you have our friends now. You have me. We can be your family.”

Lena squeezed back. “Thank you,” she said. Her voice was little wobbly. “You guys have already been more like a family than my own ever was.”

Kara rubbed her back as Lena took a deep breath and collected herself. Then they both pulled away and sat back against the sofa, Kara curling her feet underneath her. She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but she hastily covered it up as a yawn left her lips instead.

Lena placed her hand on Kara’s arm. “Listen, I should get going.” She stood up, smoothing out the business skirt she hadn’t gotten the chance to change out of, and let the familiar action focus her mind. “It’s late and I think we should both get some sleep.”

“You’re probably right,” Kara said, standing up as well. “I’m glad we got to talk, even if it got a little heavy. But I hope you had fun tonight.”

“I did. I had a wonderful time. And I’m really glad we talked too,” Lena reassured her, slipping into her jacket. Kara walked her to the door and opened it for her, and Lena stepped out into the hallway.

“Have a good night,” Kara was saying. “I’ll text you tomorrow for lunch?”

“Of course,” Lena agreed, saying her goodbyes.

She took the elevator down to the lobby and made her way out to the dark streets. She spent the cab ride to her place in relative peace. She didn’t feel as bad as she thought she might, the way she usually felt after talking about her family. There was a lightness in her chest, instead of the normal painful heaviness.

And so, when she made it back to her empty apartment, she wasn't surprised that she didn’t feel alone. At least not as she usually did. She fell asleep easily, still feeling the warmth of her friends’ presence.

And if her face still felt hot from Kara’s touch, well, Lena figured nobody could blame her.


	3. In which L-Corp throws a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAGGIE.
> 
> And I had to. You'll see.

Lena was working as hard as ever as the next several weeks passed, but she had never felt more relaxed. L-Corp was thriving, she hadn’t heard from her mother in weeks, and she was hanging out with Kara and the gang more than ever.

She was on her way to meet with Kara for lunch, walking through the doors at Noonan’s right on the time they had agreed to meet.

Lena could tell as soon as she spotted her friend that something was bugging Kara. The woman in question was sitting at their usual table with her head resting in her palm, and she sighed as Lena approached. She jumped slightly as Lena cleared her throat and sat down.

“Sorry, Kara. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Lena said quickly. “Is everything all right?”

Kara adjusted her glasses and smiled, but Lena could see it was a little forced. “Yeah, I was just thinking. How has your day been so far?”

“It’s been fine. Nothing major going on. But what about you? It seems like something’s bothering you.”

Kara sighed again, slouching onto her elbows on the table. “It’s just something that happened with Alex yesterday.”

The waiter interrupted them then, stopping at their table to take their order. They both chose something without thinking too much about it, and he walked away with the promise that their food would be out soon.

Kara seemed conflicted with whether or not she should continue with what she had been saying, so Lena reached across the table and placed her hand on top of hers. Kara always seemed to appreciate and respond better to physical contact. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I do, I just…” Kara trailed off, leaning in closer to Lena. “Can we just keep this between us? I’m not sure Alex wants anyone to know right now.”

“Of course.”

Kara took a deep breath. “Okay, so a few days ago she came by in the middle of work because she wanted to talk to me, and I could tell something was up because she’s hardly ever agitated like that, so we went outside and it took _forever_ but I finally got her to talk to me, and well, she… she told me that she’s gay.”

She said the last word in a sort of half-whisper, and paused to breathe again. Lena felt her heart sink down to her stomach. Kara didn’t exactly sound pleased. Of all the things Lena had been thinking that Kara was going to say, she had never even considered this.

“Is that… is that not okay?” Lena heard herself ask before Kara could say anymore. Her hand lifted off of Kara’s of its own accord, as if afraid to be too close.

“No!” Kara hastened to say, shaking her head and waving her hands in the air. A couple heads turned their way, but Kara lowered her voice a little as she continued. “Of course it’s okay! I don’t have any problem with people loving who they love, no matter who they are.”

Lena felt herself release the breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding. _It’s okay, Luthor. Don’t blow it now. Focus on Kara, not your feelings._ “What happened, then?” she asked.

“It’s just that Alex told me all about this woman she likes, a detective she’s been working with named Maggie. And I may have encouraged her to tell Maggie and well… yesterday I got a call from Alex’s boss saying that she hadn’t come in for work, so I went to check on her. I found her at her place and she was so upset and she told me that Maggie turned her down and she just… starting sobbing. She was just so heartbroken, Lena, and I felt like I couldn’t do anything to help her. She thinks Maggie doesn’t like her like that.”

“And you do?”

“Well, I’m not certain of anything, but now that I know what’s been going on between them, I kind of have the feeling Maggie does. But Alex told me weeks ago that she just broke up with her girlfriend, so I feel like that has more to do with it than Maggie not liking Alex. I’ve heard the two of them together and I think there’s definitely something there. But I didn’t try to convince Alex of that last night. I just told her I was proud of her for trying.”

“It sounds like you did the right thing, Kara. I’m sure it will work out. Alex will be okay. She’s pretty tough.”

“Yeah,” Kara said, “I know that. It’s just hard to see her hurting this much. And it’s also made me realize that she’s been taking care of me and my problems for so long, and there’s never been any room for her. I’ve never even given her a chance to talk about herself, let alone figure something like this out.”

At this point, Kara was looking so despondent that Lena couldn’t help moving her chair over to the other side of the table so she could give Kara a hug, the other woman resting her head on Lena’s shoulder. Lena spoke after a few seconds. “Even if that’s true, Kara, at least you realize it now. I know you, and you’ll work on it. Sometimes these things just take a long time to realize. Alex is going to work this out.”

The waiter returned with their food then, and Lena pulled away from Kara, clearing her throat. After he had left, she turned back to Kara, patting her knee. “You okay?”

“Yes,” Kara said, looking a little sheepish. “Thank you, Lena. I know you’re right.”

“It’s no problem,” Lena said. She laughed as Kara cast a longing glance at the plate in front of her, stomach growling audibly. “Eat now. We can talk more after lunch.”

Kara finally smiled, already reaching for her fork.

…

Lena couldn’t help but break into a smile as soon as she spotted Kara in CatCo’s main office a few days later. She was talking with James at one of the desks, and she turned in surprise as Lena called her name.

“Lena! What are you doing here? Did I forget about a meeting?” she asked in alarm.

Lena laughed, placing her hand on Kara’s arm to stop her fidgeting. “No, don’t worry. I came to see you, actually. I wanted to ask you something.”

Kara looked relieved, and her face brightened immediately. “Oh, phew. What is it?”

“L-Corp is hosting a party this Friday night; it’s a celebration for the three-month release of the L-Phone, and I’m turning it into a fundraiser for the hospital. I was hoping you’d come.” She turned to James then, addressing them both. “And all of our friends, of course. It should be fun.”

Kara beamed. “Of course we’ll come!” She nudged James in the shoulder. “Right, James?”

James laughed. “Wouldn’t miss it, Lena. You looking for a photographer?”

“You are welcome to take as many pictures as you want, James. And if CatCo were to write a story on it, that would be great. The more coverage this gets, the more money we’ll raise.”

“I’ll let Ms. Grant know right away!” Kara said. Her watch beeped then, and Kara froze with a look of horror on her face.

“I’m supposed to be in a meeting. I gotta go!” she said as she hastily scrambled away.

James made a noise of uncertainty, looking down at the desk. “Uh, Kara…”

Kara instantly turned back, grabbing the tablet that she had left behind. “Right. Thanks. Ugh, I’m late. I’ll see you Friday, Lena!”

They both laughed as Kara rushed away, almost knocking into Winn, who couldn't move out of the way fast enough. He walked over to where the other two were standing, straightening his shirt. “Hey, Lena," he greeted. "What’s up with the speed demon?”

“She forgot about her meeting and now she’s late,” James said. “And Lena’s here to invite us to a party Friday."

“Oooh, what kind of party? Will there be video games?” Winn asked, pointing finger-guns at Lena.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but this is more of a suit-and-tie kind of affair, Schott. Make sure you wear something nice,” Lena teased, cuffing Winn on the shoulder. “But I better get going too. My lunch break is nearly over.”

“All right. Thanks for stopping by, Lena,” James said. “We’ll see you there.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

…

Friday night turned out to be the perfect night to have a party: warm, but not too warm, a clear sky, and not even a hint of humidity in the evening air. The mood was festive, and the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves. The hospital had helped Lena plan the arrangement, and there were plenty of refreshments and a band to keep people occupied.

Lena was making her way throughout the crowd, talking with everyone she could, when she spotted Kara, James, and Winn. James looked dashing in a nice suit with his camera around his neck, and even Winn had cleaned up a lot better than Lena had been expecting. And then there was Kara…

She was wearing a simple white dress with her hair pulled up in a fashionable bun. Her face was glasses-free, and absolutely radiant. She had her smaller guide cane in her hand, but Lena watched as she collapsed it, taking James’ arm instead.

James was speaking into Kara’s ear as Lena approached, and he gestured towards her as she got closer. Kara took her hand away from James’ elbow and met Lena with open arms.

“Kara, I’m so glad you could come,” Lena said, returning the hug.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Kara teased lightly. She looped her arm through Lena’s. “James was just telling me how nice everything looks. This is so great, Lena!”

“Thank you. I’m hoping it will be a memorable evening.”

“Which I must capture so we can remember it for the rest of time,” James piped in. He tapped Kara on the shoulder to show her he was moving on. “Duty calls,” he saluted, walking away, camera already in hand.

“Let’s get this party started,” Winn exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “I’m gonna grab a drink. You want anything, Kara?”

“Some water would be lovely, Winn, thank you.”

Winn rolled his eyes. “I tried,” he joked to Lena. He addressed Kara again. “They have the good champagne here, you know. And it’s free. How can you possibly pass that up?”

Kara stuck her tongue out at him. “You know I don’t drink.”

“I know, I know. I’ll be right back. Don’t have too much fun without me!”

Kara turned to Lena as he walked away, a laugh on her lips. “You haven’t seen Alex, have you?” she asked eagerly.

“No, I haven’t. She’s still coming, right?”

“Yep!” Kara’s nose scrunched as she bounced in her excitement. “I can’t wait for her to get here. You’re never gonna guess what happened.”

Lena smiled. Kara looked like she was going to burst if her sister didn’t come right that second. “I’m taking it’s something good.”

“Yes, but I promised I’d let her tell everyone,” Kara said. She blew out a puff of air as if that would help her keep the secret. “Ugh, I can’t wait. Do you see her yet, Lena?”

Lena laughed, looking around. “I don’t think so-” She cut off as she spotted a familiar crop of reddish-brown hair. “Oh yes, I see her. Looks like she just arrived. Who is that with her? She’s holding someone’s hand.” Lena realized Kara was probably going to need more to go on than that. “Dark-haired woman. Shorter than Alex. Really pretty. Dimples.”

Kara was practically squealing as she bounced on her feet. “It’s Maggie! She talked with Alex the other night and explained things and now they’re dating!”

Lena felt her heart fill with warmth at the news. “That’s wonderful. I’m glad it worked out.”

“Me too!” Kara said. “I’ve never seen Alex so happy. She’s actually giggling. Like _all_ the time now. It’s so great!”

Alex caught Lena’s eye from across the venue, and Lena raised her arm in greeting. Alex began making their way towards them, pulling Maggie along with her. They were both wearing dresses that went well with their figures, Maggie in black and Alex in blue.

“Hey, Kara,” Alex said as she reached them. She smiled wide as she looked at Lena. “Lena, this is Maggie Sawyer.” She gestured between the two she was introducing. “Maggie, Lena Luthor.”

Maggie gave her a firm shake, a smile on her face. “Ahh, so you’re the woman behind this whole thing. I’ve gotta say, you sure know how to throw a party.”

Lena inclined her head in acknowledgment of the compliment. “Well, I certainly had a lot of help.”

Kara chirped in then, letting go of Lena to throw her arms around her sister and her girlfriend. “Hi, guys!”

“Oof,” Alex groaned, stumbling back a little. “Take it easy, Kara.”

Maggie just chuckled. “Hey, Little Danvers. You cleaned up nice.”  

Winn finally returned then, hands full. He had a flute of champagne and a bottle of water in one, and a plate completely overloaded with food in the other. “Hey, Kara,” he said. “Guess what? They have potstickers!”

Kara gasped. “No way!” She turned to Lena. “Lena, you didn’t!”

Her face was absolutely delighted, and Lena felt like she might melt into a puddle in her shoes. She could feel a blush working its way past her ears. She managed to stammer something in reply as Kara took four of the little dumplings from Winn and tried to eat them all at once.

She glanced over when she heard a little snicker coming from her right, and found Maggie looking her way, a knowing smirk on her face. The woman looked at Kara, then back at Lena, who she gave a playful wink.

Lena’s cheeks heated up even more. _I’ve been made._

…

Between the food and the toasts to everyone who had made donations and the speeches from representatives of the hospital, the evening seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Before Lena knew it, the band was kicking off the night with one last round of songs.

James took a quick break then to ask Kara to dance, and they both looked radiant as they swung around the cobblestones. Maggie and Alex only had eyes for each other as they clasped each other tightly, swaying to the music. Lena laughed as Winn tried unsuccessfully to avoid treading on her toes as they joined in on the fun. 

After a couple songs, James left Kara to get some final pictures, and Winn excused himself so he could get one last class of champagne. That left Kara standing alone, at least until Lena swooped in on her chance.

“Would you care to dance, Ms. Danvers?” she asked, placing her hand lightly on Kara’s arm.

Kara smiled wide when she realized who it was. “I’d love to, Lena.”

They moved together then, Lena being careful not to get too close. Kara didn’t seem to care, as she clasped Lena’s hand and placed her other on Lena’s lower back as they began to move to the music. 

Lena could feel tingles running down her spine, centered around Kara’s palm. It took her a second to realize Kara was speaking to her.

“…really great, Lena. You’ve really done an amazing thing. You’ve turned your whole company around.”

Lena cleared her throat. “Well, I have been inspired lately by some very great people. Everyday heroes, you might say. I can’t give myself all the credit.”

“Oh?” Kara quipped, raising a brow. “Like who?”

“Like _you_ , Kara Danvers. You are my hero.”

Kara blushed, and they both laughed as they spun around one last time, the song coming to an end. They separated slightly as the guests began to applaud the musicians, and then chatter started back up as people began to get ready to leave.

Kara let go of Lena’s elbow as she pulled out her cane and extended it back to its full height. Lena felt her phone buzz from inside her skirt pocket, and she pulled it out as the gang all reconvened where they were standing. She frowned down at her screen when she saw she had three missed calls from her mother.

_Does she have to ruin everything?_

“Are you all right, Lena?” Alex asked as she approached. Kara cast a questioning look in her direction as Lena quickly nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Lena said, trying for the cheer she had been feeling up until a minute ago. She could tell by the way Kara’s brows furrowed that she hadn’t quite succeeded, but no one said anything to contradict her.

Her phone began ringing for the fourth time, and Lena knew she was going to have to settle this sooner rather than later. She said her goodbyes quickly, thanking everyone for coming and promising to be there for the next Game Night. With a promise to Kara that everything was fine, she parted ways, pulling up her mother’s number on her screen.

She waited until she was out of sight before taking a deep breath to steel her resolve, and then she hit the call button.


	4. In which Kara has a bad day

Lillian Luthor was in town.

After months of almost no involvement in her daughter’s life, she had suddenly sprung back into the picture as if nothing had ever happened. Although so far, she hadn’t engaged with Lena much beyond business talk and checking up on L-Corp. But Lena figured it was only a matter of time before her mother tried to get involved with her personal life, which usually entailed her telling Lena everything she was doing wrong with it.

She wasn’t going to dwell on the inevitable, however, even though she was sure her mother had something planned. There had to be a reason why she suddenly took interest in National City. She never had before. Lena just couldn’t see the bigger picture.

For now, Lena was going about her normal routine, not going to be the one to instigate anything until she had a better idea of what her mother was doing.

_Because there’s always an ulterior motive when it comes to Mother._

Lena shook her head to clear it. She was thinking way too much about this when she said she wouldn’t, especially since she was on her way to meet with Kara and Winn. They had agreed to meet up in the group’s favorite restaurant for lunch that day, and for once Lena was early, beating her two companions, even though she was coming from a farther distance. The place was packed with the lunch rush, but she managed to snag a table that was just being vacated. She told the waiter that immediately approached her that she was expecting two more people, who should be there soon.

Twenty minutes passed, however, and there was still no sign of her friends. She finally ordered a drink to placate the disgruntled server that was eyeing her table, and sent Kara a quick text asking where they were.

She was not expecting her phone to ring so soon afterward, and her brows furrowed when she saw that Alex was calling her. She quickly hit the answer button. “Hello?”

“Hey, Lena,” the older Danvers sister greeted her. Lena could hear the stress in her voice in just those two words. “I saw you texted Kara and I just wanted to let you know that she’s not going to make it to lunch today. She has a really bad headache and a lot happened this morning, so I took her home so she could rest.”

The waiter came by with her coffee order, but Lena let the mug sit untouched in front of her as she gave him a curt nod. “Is she okay?” she asked.

“She’ll be fine,” Alex said. However, the sigh that followed contrasted her assurance of that fact. “This happens to her sometimes, although it’s been a while since the last one. She usually can sleep it off. And I-” Alex cut off with a noise of pain.

“Are you all right?” Lena asked in alarm.

“Yeah,” Alex breathed after a few seconds. “I’m good. I’m gonna hang up now so I can actually open this door. I’ll talk to you later, Lena. Don’t worry too much.”

Lena sighed as the call disconnected before she could say anything else. She had more questions than she had gotten answers for: of course she was going to worry. She would until she heard from Kara herself. But until then, it looked like she was alone for lunch.

…

Kara texted her the next day, asking if Lena could come over to her place that night. Lena quickly replied that she would be there as soon as she finished up at work. It wasn’t like she had any plans, anyway. And even if she had, she would have rescheduled anything for her friend.

She made it to Kara’s apartment right before dusk, and for the first time, the puppy-like woman didn’t open the door before Lena could even approach it. Lena actually had to knock to announce her presence. She could hear Kara shuffling to the door slowly, and her heart filled with dread that something was really wrong.

Kara pulled the door open, greeting her with a forlorn, “Hey, Lena.” Her hair was disheveled and she had obviously been crying recently. She didn’t even wait for Lena to hang up her coat on the rack before dragging herself over to the couch and wrapping herself in a fuzzy blue blanket. It looked like she had been in that position for quite some time, if the empty food containers on the coffee table and the old sitcom on the TV were any indications.

Kara switched the TV off with the remote as Lena sat beside her. Lena wasn’t sure what to do, but she settled with placing a hand on top of Kara’s sweatpant-covered knee. “What’s wrong, Kara?” she asked. “Are you still not feeling well?”

“No, it’s not that,” Kara sniffed. “I felt a lot better when I woke up this morning. It’s everything else that happened yesterday.”

“Alex told me you had a headache, but that’s all I know. What happened?”

Kara’s face crumpled. “Oh, it was so horrible, Lena. _I_ was so horrible. I couldn’t control myself and I was so mean to everyone and I broke Alex’s arm.”

Lena was pretty much struck speechless. That had not been what she was expecting at all. “Wait. What?”

But Kara was too worked up to continue explaining and she choked on her next inhalation. Lena didn’t even think as she quickly wrapped Kara up in her arms. Kara started to cry in earnest then. They stayed that way for a while, Lena holding the other woman close as she tried to get ahold of herself.

Eventually, Kara calmed down a little, and Lena rubbed her back as she hiccupped, wiping her eyes with the blanket. Lena didn’t even get a chance to say anything to try and soothe her before Kara started speaking.

“I got a really bad headache yesterday as soon as I got into work. Like floor-sinking, can’t-think-straight-or-remember-your-own-name bad. So I took some pills I keep in my desk, but they didn’t seem to do much. If anything, they made it worse. James and Winn found me in my office and tried to help me, but they weren’t helping and they were just so _loud_ and I was so overwhelmed. And I just got so… so _angry_ , and I started yelling at them because I just wanted them to go away and leave me alone.

“And they must have left and called Alex and she came to take me home, but it got so bad when we got out on the street that I couldn’t take it anymore and Alex was still trying to talk to me, so I started screaming at her too. Everything hurt and I was just so mad and all I could think about was getting away from everything. So then I just walked away, but I wasn’t paying attention to anything and the next thing I knew, Alex was tackling me to the ground because I walked through a red light and a car almost hit me.”

Kara paused here and took a shuddering breath. Lena could tell there was more, so she waited quietly to hear it. Kara picked up again after taking a sip from the water bottle that was nestled in the couch cushions.

“Alex didn’t even tell me she was hurt until we went to her lab and she had to get an x-ray for her arm while they were treating me. The doctor told me that something was wrong with the medication I had taken and that it messed with my head and that was why I was so moody. And the headache went away today, but I just feel so bad, Lena. Alex probably hates me. Everyone probably hates me.”

Lena’s heart was aching at the overwhelming sadness in the woman before her. “Kara, it wasn’t your fault. No one is going to hold what happened against you. Everyone loves you, especially your sister.”

Kara shook her head forcefully. “You didn’t hear what I told her, Lena. I was saying things like she was a b-bad sister and –”

She cut off, on the verge of breaking down again, so Lena cupped her face with both of her hands and spoke firmly. “Kara Danvers, listen to me. If you don’t deserve forgiveness, then no one does. Maybe you said some things that you shouldn’t have, but it wasn’t truly you that was talking. You are seriously one of the kindest people I have ever met, and you would never intentionally try to hurt someone like that. You inspire me, Kara. You make me want to be a better person. And I know if I were to call any one of our friends right now, they would say the same. One day of apparent brain-poisoning isn’t going to change that.”

Kara gasped in a little air as she wiped her eyes again. She gave Lena a watery smile. “I’m glad you’re here, Lena. I really needed someone to talk to.”

“I’ll always be here for you, Kara.” Lena grabbed Kara’s hand and brought it up to her cheek, wanting Kara to know that she was smiling sincerely. “Even if you yell at me,” she said playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

“Ugh,” Kara groaned. “Let’s hope that never happens. I like you way too much.”

Lena laughed it off, but her heart starting beating loudly at Kara’s words. She knew Kara didn’t mean it like that, but _still_. She changed the subject quickly. “What were you watching when I came in? It wasn’t that cheesy sitcom Alex always teases you for, was it?”

It seemed to have the desired effect. Kara pouted, a bit of her usual self finally making an appearance. “It’s a good show!” she said defensively. “She used to watch it with me all the time when we were teenagers! But _no_ , she went through her horror-movie-punk phase and now she’ll never admit it!”

Lena laughed, glad her distraction seemed to be working. “We could watch it now, if you want. You can show me how good it is. Prove Alex wrong.”

Kara’s face lit up at the idea, and Lena was very glad she had suggested it. “You’re on!”

…

Three episodes later found them in a heated discussion of the romance between the two main characters. Lena claimed that it seemed completely unfounded, but Kara was arguing that she had missed some important plot points in previous episodes, and that it would make more sense if she saw them.

At the next commercial, Lena looked at her watch, realizing how late it was getting. She didn’t really mind, but she thought maybe Kara should get some sleep, considering what had happened yesterday. She said as much, prompting Kara to sit up from her inclined position on the sofa.

“I didn’t realize what time it was,” Kara fretted. “I’m sorry, Lena. You probably wanted to be home by now.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. But I want you to get some rest. Do you need anything else before you go to bed?”

“No,” Kara said, shaking her head. “I- ugh-”

Kara made a sound of pain as she suddenly slumped forward, her hands clutching at her head. Lena watched as the color completely drained from her face in a matter of seconds. “Kara,” she cried out. “What’s wrong?”

Kara was breathing heavily through her nose, swaying slightly. One of her hands fisted the fabric of the couch, and it seemed to Lena that she was about to fall to the floor. It also seemed to take forever for her to answer. “I n-need to – bathroom,” she finally said, her words forced. “Can you c-call Al-Alex?”

Lena was about to ask what was going on when Kara stood and made her way out of the living room with a surprising burst of speed, considering how unbalanced she seemed. Really worried now, Lena grabbed her phone and dialed Alex’s number with shaking fingers, too shocked to even think about not doing what she had been asked.

Alex picked up just before the call went to voicemail. Lena could tell by the way she answered that she had been asleep and hadn’t checked the caller ID. “Danvers,” came the slurred voice.

“Alex? This is Lena. Um, I’m at Kara’s place and something is wrong and she asked me to call you,” Lena said in a rush, not bothering to hide the panic in her voice.

Alex sounded alert immediately. “Lena, breathe. What’s going on?”

Lena quickly told her what had happened, listening as she heard Alex speak away from the receiver, voice muffled. “It’s Lena. Something’s wrong with Kara.”

 _Maggie’s there_ , Lena realized.

Alex spoke back into the phone. “Did she seem unsteady, Lena? As if she were really dizzy?”

“Y-yes. I thought she was going to fall.”

“She’s having a vertigo attack.” Alex seemed to be staying calm, so Lena tried to remain so as well. It didn’t work, however, as she heard a retching sound come from the bathroom. “Maggie and I will be right there,” Alex continued. “Can you stay with her, Lena?”

“Yes. I’m hanging up now. I think she needs help.” Lena stood as she said it, knocking her shin on the coffee table in her haste to get to the bathroom.

“Thank you. We’re on our way,” Alex said. There was a click as the call ended, and Lena dropped the phone in her pocket as she limped slightly on her smarting leg. Luckily, Kara hadn’t locked the bathroom door.

Kara was hunched over the toilet, her whole body shaking. Lena quickly knelt beside her and swiped her hair back out of her face, right before Kara heaved again, tears spilling from her eyes. Lena placed a hand on her back in an effort to steady her, feeling her own throat constricting in worry.

Kara sat back after a few heavy minutes. Lena helped her move to the wall behind them before quickly flushing the toilet and grabbing a towel to help clean her up.

Kara latched onto Lena’s hand as Lena wiped her mouth gently, curling into herself as she leaned heavily against Lena’s shoulder. Her eyes were scrunched tight, forehead creased in discomfort. Lena wasn’t sure what else she should do, but she allowed Kara to squeeze her hand as hard as she needed to.

It was a relief when she heard the apartment door open, signaling help’s arrival. The older Danvers sister charged into the bathroom seconds later, eyes quickly scanning the scene. She was in sweats and completely barefoot and her arm was in a sling, but it was clear to Lena that none of that mattered, for she saw nothing but deep concern in Alex’s face.

Maggie was right behind her, looking a little better than her girlfriend. At least she had shoes on. She stayed in the doorway, seeing how crowded the bathroom was quickly becoming.

Alex didn’t let the cramped space stop her. She moved so she was on Kara’s right – fortunately on the side of her good arm – and took her sister’s other hand. “Hey, Kara, sweetie. I’m here,” she said softly. “You’re going to get through this.”

“Alex,” Kara whimpered. She moved her head off Lena’s shoulder and curled into her sister, who let go of her hand in order to rub circles on Kara’s leg.

“I’m here, Kara,” Alex repeated. “Now, Lena called about ten minutes ago. Can you tell me if you’ve gotten any better since then?”

“Got sick,” Kara groaned.

“That’s okay, sweetheart. Has it gotten any worse after that?”

“No,” Kara mouthed. It was barely audible, but Alex nodded like it was enough.

“Okay. Just keep breathing, Kara. This is going to pass. Lena and Maggie and I are all here with you. Talk to us when you can. No rush.”

They spent the next several minutes in silence, the only sound in the room being Kara’s labored breathing. Alex only had eyes for Kara’s face, and Lena began to feel a little out of place. She couldn’t leave, as Kara was still gripping her hand, but her eyes sought out Maggie in the doorway, the other outsider in this moment. Maggie caught Lena’s gaze and gave her a reassuring nod. _It’s okay_ , she seemed to be saying.

Kara let out a long sigh a while later, managing to sit up a little. “It’s a little better now,” she said hoarsely. “Sorry.”

Alex cupped Kara’s cheek. “Don’t apologize. This wasn’t your fault.”

Maggie spoke up for the first time since they’d gotten there. “Yeah, Little Danvers. We don’t mind. We just want you to be okay.”

Alex tucked some hair behind Kara’s ear. “Maggie and I are going to take you into the lab as soon as you’re feeling up to it, okay?” she said. “I know we did a basic check-up yesterday, but I think we should just make sure nothing’s wrong. A quick head-scan.”

“They’re never quick,” Kara tried to joke, her tone falling flat. “But okay.” She reached out and touched Alex’s foot. “You need shoes first.”

Alex gave an eye roll, then seemed to think about it. “I’m rolling my eyes, Kara,” she sighed. “Should’ve known you’d pick up on that. You don’t have to yell at me for it. Maggie already did.”

Maggie chimed in again as Alex and Lena helped Kara stand. “Someone’s gotta try and look out for you, Danvers.” She winked at Lena. “We’re lucky shoes are the only things she’s missing.”

Alex blushed as they all moved out of the bathroom, Lena taking most of Kara’s weight. The older Danvers sister gave Maggie a mock glare. “Well, excuse me for prioritizing my family over my feet,” she said, feigning defense.  

Maggie shrugged her shoulders and leaned in to kiss Alex’s cheek. “I’m not blaming you, babe. Just saying it could have been worse. Could have been pants.”

Kara reacted to that, swatting her hand in Maggie’s direction. “TMI," she grunted. "Don’t need to know."

Alex didn’t say anything in acknowledgment of her girlfriend’s teasing, but Lena noticed the red tinting her cheeks as she smoothed some more of Kara’s hair behind her ear. “Where’s your support cane?” she asked.

“Ugh,” Kara groaned. “It’s somewhere in the closet. It’s been so long since I’ve needed it.”

“We’re bringing it just in case, okay? I know you hate it. But it’s better for you to have it if you start feeling bad again.”

“I know,” Kara agreed. “But can you get it for me?”

“I got it,” Maggie said, stopping Alex from moving with her arm. She walked further into the apartment, to the small closet off of the kitchen.

Kara still had most of her weight resting upon Lena, but she made an attempt to straighten as she turned to face her. “We can drop you off at home first. That way I don’t keep you out all night, or make you take a cab back.”

“Or I could come with you,” Lena argued. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Kara frowned. “You don’t have to.”

“I’m not sure I could let a civilian just waltz in with us anyway,” Alex agreed. Maggie came back and handed Kara her cane, and Lena let go so she could stand on her own. Kara leaned pretty heavily on her cane, despite her protests against it.

Lena should have known she wouldn’t be wanted. Her shoulders slumped, and Maggie picked up on it. “Let her come, guys. She’s worried,” she said, placing her hands on both sisters’ shoulders. “I can sign off on her clearance if you think there’ll be trouble, Alex.”

Alex sighed. “We are only going to the med-bay.” She looked at Lena. “If you really want to.”

Lena nodded, completely sure.

“It’s settled then,” Maggie declared. “Let’s go soon, because I may or may not have parked in a no-parking zone.”

“Kara, I’m stealing a pair of your slippers. You want some too?”

“Uh-huh. Thanks, Alex.”

…

“So where are we going exactly?” Lena asked after they had all made it to the car, Kara forgoing a jacket in favor of wrapping herself back up in her blue blanket. Lena was sitting next to her in the back seat, and the other woman had taken her hand as soon as they got into the car. Lena would have been content to never let it go.

Alex turned to face her from the passenger seat. “It’s classified. Just know it’s a government agency that the public isn’t supposed to know about. I have all of Kara’s medical records on file there, and it’s just always been easier than going to an actual hospital. I work in the lab there, when I’m not out in the field.”

The mystery behind Alex Danvers was all clicking into place for Lena now. “So, _Agent_ Danvers, huh? What Kara said about you and Maggie meeting at work makes a whole lot more sense now. I couldn’t really see why you would be working with the NCPD, unless you were some sort of consultant or something.”

Maggie laughed, one hand moving off the steering wheel and finding Alex’s knee. “She’s way too arrogant with her fancy fed classification to ever let herself work for us. Danvers here walked right into my crime scene one day and stole it from me, along with my heart.”

Alex snorted. “Yeah, _right_. And it was _my_ crime scene.”

The couple continued to bicker playfully, but Lena tuned them out as she glanced at Kara. She had been silent for a while. “Are you doing all right, Kara?”

Kara turned her head in Lena’s direction, giving her a tired smile. “Just a little worn out. Sure you don’t mind coming with us?”

“Not in the slightest,” Lena assured her, rubbing her thumb over Kara’s knuckles. She kept it up as Kara closed her eyes, slouching against the car door. Maggie caught Lena’s eye in the rearview mirror, and seemed to sense her worry. She shushed her girlfriend with a glance back at Kara, and they spent the rest of the ride in silence, giving her some quiet.

When they made it to the lab, Alex took Kara back into what could only be described as a state-of-the-art medical facility, while Maggie and Lena waited in the hallway to give the young woman some privacy. The detective distracted Lena from worrying too much by telling her how contrary Alex was being with her recent injury. They both ended up laughing as Maggie explained how Alex wouldn’t accept any help with lacing up her boots that morning, even though she was frustrating herself to no end because she couldn’t figure out how to tie them one-handed. She had ended up trying to use her teeth. That was when Maggie had forcefully stepped in and tied them for her.  

They talked a little about their selves then, getting to know each other a little better. Lena talked about her company, and how she had met Kara. Maggie told her about her job, and Lena could see how much she loved it by the way her eyes lit up. They did the same thing when she talked about Alex.

Time seemed to pass without the two of them even noticing. The check-up didn’t take as long as Lena had feared, probably due to the fact that it was the dead of night and there wasn’t much activity in the med-bay. The Danvers sisters walked out about an hour later, Alex with a smile on her face and Kara looking a lot perkier than before.

“Head scan’s good,” Alex said, reaching out for Maggie and taking her hand. “No significant change from the last one. The doctor says that the reason why this one was so extreme was because it was an aftereffect from all the stress yesterday, and Kara should be fine.”

“That’s good,” Maggie said. “How you feeling, Little Danvers?”

“Better. I got to rest a little while they did the scan,” Kara replied. Her stomach growled audibly. “Can we get food before we go home?”

“Now I know she’s back,” Alex laughed. “Sure, Kara. What would you like?”

“Potstickers!”

Lena couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “It’s nearly two in the morning. There’s no way we’re going to find a place open that makes those.”

Kara frowned. “Pizza then. Something. I’m _hungry_ ,” she whined.

Maggie pulled her keys from her pocket, giving them a little jingle. “C’mon. I know the perfect place. Open 24 hours a day.”

Kara grinned, and Alex jabbed her lightly with her good elbow. “But we’re making it quick. You need to rest. And we’ve kept Lena out long enough.”

…

So that was how the four of them found themselves in a pizza shop in the very early morning, as one sleep-deprived worker made their order. Kara grabbed a slice as soon as it was brought out for them, shoving it into her mouth. The rest of them were a little more cautious about burning their tongues, and actually waited a little for theirs to cool. By the time Lena had finished her first piece, Kara was working on her third, showing no signs of slowing down.

(“Kara, calm down. It’s not like it’s going anywhere.”)

(“Yeah, Little Danvers, if you puke in my car, I’m never forgiving you.”)

In the time it took for Maggie to pull up to Lena’s apartment once they were back in the car, Kara had curled up and fallen asleep, seemingly sated. Lena really couldn’t blame her, as she was sure the poor woman had to be twice as exhausted as she herself felt. It had been a long night, but at least she had been feeling fine throughout all of it.

Lena opened her door and stole a quick glance at the front of the car. Alex and Maggie were holding hands over the center console, and neither one of them commented on the fact that Lena felt the need to kiss Kara’s cheek as she whispered her goodbyes. Alex promised to text Lena as soon as they had gotten Kara in bed safe, and with a little wave and a knowing smirk from Maggie, they drove off into the night. Lena watched until the taillights disappeared around the corner, and then she made her way into the lobby.


	5. Which is full of revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget about this, I swear! >.< Just dealing with finals and all that...

It was several weeks later when the problem of her mother reached its peak.

Lillian started weaseling into Lena’s days more and more, coming to all her business meetings and inviting her out for dinners so they could “catch up”. Lena humored her, aware that her mother was watching her carefully, almost as if she were looking for something. She definitely knew Lillian was up to something, and figured the only way she would find out about it was if she passed her mother’s inspection. So she played along, doing whatever her mother wanted of her.

Which meant that she saw less of her friends than usual. She made up an excuse every time Kara asked her to do something, saying she was really busy at the moment, or she had to work late, or she had a really important meeting she had to prepare for. The excuses just kept piling up, because being around Lillian reminded her why she never had many friends to begin with.

She had always been a loner. Not by choice – not at first – but because she had been raised to come out on top. To not make personal connections unless they benefited her. That, paired with that fact that she was always outshined by her brother, had made her very focused on proving her worth to her parents. And they had never cared about letting her make friends. By the time she had gotten to school, Lena was too used to being by herself to even bother. She was leagues ahead and moved too quickly through the education system to stick with a group of people anyway.

And now, with every false smile and criticism and fake ‘I love you’ from Lillian, the realization that she should never have tried to make friends – never have tried to be normal - was being enforced within her more and more. So she lied and she deflected and she promised to catch up with them later.

Then her mother walked into her office one day and told her the truth of why she had really come to National City. She was secretly working to complete Lex’s plan to murder thousands, to pick up right where he left off when he had gotten arrested. And she wanted Lena’s help.

Any illusion Lena had had about her mother changing for the better was shattered right in that instant. Lena could see it in her eyes that she believed Lex had done nothing wrong. She didn’t care about improving L-Corp or the new direction Lena had taken it. And Lena knew there was only one thing she could do.

She agreed. She offered everything L-Corp had at its disposal, and Lillian gave her the first genuine smile Lena had ever had directed at her before leaving with the promise to be in touch.

After that, Lena turned her phone off. She wasn’t going to be answering her messages anytime soon. Her friends deserved better than her.

…

It all came to a head a week later, in her office again. Lillian had gathered enough supplies to blow up all of National City and stored them in a warehouse by the docks, giving Lena the proof she needed to bust her. She called her mother to her office under the pretense of a meeting, but the reality was that she had called the police. She just needed to distract her mother long enough for the warehouse to be checked out, in order to get the probable cause to make an arrest.

Dozens of NCPD’s finest had interrupted them about an hour later, taking Lillian out in handcuffs. Her mother gave her a death glare as she was led away. Lena gave a cold look back and didn’t even pause in her statement to the officers questioning her.

Maggie was one of the detectives on the scene, and Lena could see the concern in her eyes whenever she looked her way. It made all the guilt Lena had been feeling lately about avoiding her friends crash over her, and she found herself unable to return Maggie’s gaze. She was actually thankful that the detective was too busy doing her job to pull her aside and have a personal conversation.

The chaos died down a long time later, until she was finally the only one left. She plopped heavily into her office chair as everything started to finally catch up with her.

She wasn’t upset that her mother had betrayed her, or that she was going to prison to join her brother. Lena had never loved the woman anyway. No, it was the secret that Lillian had told her just before the police had come. The secret that was slowly starting to sink into Lena’s brain.

She noticed that her hands were shaking slightly. There was a pounding in her head and an overall lethargy in her bones that made her question the last time she had actually eaten. She was too light-headed and nauseous to really be hungry at this point, and she didn’t feel like even getting up to get herself a glass of water.

Alcohol seemed like the better option at that point, and although the thought was very tempting, she knew it was a bad idea. But the notion wouldn’t go away, so she looked around for something – anything – to distract her.

All she could really see was her phone, lying where she had left it turned off on her desk. Taking it now, she hit the power button and waited for it to load, alarmed at all the notifications that popped up almost immediately. She bit her lip in shame as she saw that most of the messages were from Kara. Even though she didn’t feel she deserved to, she scrolled through all of them anyway, feeling even worse as she read through the days.

**Kara Danvers:** _Game night tonight! Wanna join?_

**Kara Danvers:** _Hey Lena I guess you’re busy. Missed you tonight._

**Kara Danvers:** _Good morning_ _:)_

**Kara Danvers:** _Winn wants to know if you can come in sometime this week to look over the updates he has planned_

**Kara Danvers:** _Lena?_

**Kara Danvers:** _Lena I heard Lillian is in town is something going on?_

**Kara Danvers:** _Lena please answer me I’m worried_

**Alex Danvers:** _Hey Lena, Kara is really worried about you. If you get this, could you just send her a quick word? And if there’s anything you need, let one of us know. Maggie’s told me about some rumors regarding your mother. We’re all here for you._

**Kara Danvers:** _Leeeeennnnnnnaaaaa_

**Kara Danvers:** _Okay Winn saw you when he dropped off some papers at L-Corp so I know you’re alive. If there’s anything I can do for you please let me know_

**Kara Danvers:** _I’m here for you Lena <3_

And they went on and on, with varying degrees of concern and well-wishes, and also the question of whether Lena had broken her phone or something. She even had a couple from Maggie, telling her to hang in there.

Suddenly overwhelmed by the pain in her chest, she typed out a message to Kara. She couldn’t stand to be alone right now, and she didn’t know what else to do. Still, her thumb hovered over the send button for a minute, hesitating, until she finally pressed it.

 **Me:** _Kara, can I come over?_

Kara responded almost immediately. Lena could tell by the way the messages came that she was talking too fast for her phone to keep up.

**Kara Danvers:** _Lena thank goodness I’ve been so worried of course you can_

**Kara Danvers:** _I’ve missed you_

**Kara Danvers:** _Is everything okay_

Lena smiled brokenly at her screen, the words making her chest hurt more. Getting up from the couch, she grabbed her coat and typed a vague response, knowing she wouldn’t be able to go through with it if she tried to explain it all now.

**Me:** _On my way._

She was three blocks away from L-Corp before she realized she was just walking. She thought about stopping to catch a cab, as the night air was cold and she wasn’t wearing very sensible shoes, but in the end, she just kept moving forward. She felt numb and had no energy whatsoever to interact with any more people than necessary. Luckily, the streets were quiet, and she walked to Kara’s in a silent daze.

It took her half an hour to get there, her feet carrying her blindly up to the familiar door. Kara had it open before Lena could even register the movement, her expression filled with concern and her mouth opening. Something powerful overcame Lena at the sight of her friend, and she was rushing into Kara’s arms before the other woman could say anything, feeling as if the whole world was going to end if she didn’t.

Kara seemed startled, but her arms wrapped tightly around Lena, pulling her close. “Lena? Are you all right? You’re freezing! Did you _walk_ here?” Kara asked in a rush.

Lena just nodded into her shoulder, too overwhelmed to speak. It was then that she registered how much she was shaking. Her head was hurting and her legs were wobbly and she felt cold inside and out.

“C’mon, let’s get you inside,” Kara said softly. She made to pull away, but Lena was pretty sure Kara was the only thing keeping her upright at this point, and she clung harder. Kara seemed to understand and somehow managed to pull her in and close the door and move them both to the couch without breaking the contact, taking most of Lena’s weight.

Lena wondered idly what time it was. It was late, that was all she knew. It was late and she was cold and it felt like she was falling apart and she wasn’t sure what it was going to take for her to put herself back together.

She felt her coat being taken off her shoulders, and then a blanket took its place. Kara cupped her cheek, her fingers trying to make up for what she couldn’t see. “Can you tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

Lena tried to answer, she really did. Her throat was too tight, however, and all she managed was a shaky, whimpered “Kara.” So she shook her head and huddled further into her friend’s side.

“I’m here,” Kara said, squeezing tight. “Maggie told me what happened tonight. Tell me what I can do to help.”

“Don’t hate me,” Lena whispered.

“Nothing could ever make me do that,” Kara said. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because I’m not who you think I am.”

“What does that mean?”

And Lena finally spoke the words that had been replaying in her mind ever since she had found out the truth. They had been sitting, dark and heavy, in her stomach, and they crawled up her throat and left her lips like poison.

“I’m a Luthor.”

Kara’s forehead crinkled as she looked at Lena in confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked again.

There was a bad taste in Lena’s mouth, but she couldn’t stop the words now that she had started. “Lillian told me. I’m not really adopted,” she explained bitterly. “Lionel Luthor was my father. He had an affair with my mother and took pity on his poor, little bastard of a daughter when his mistress died. I’m just a Luthor after all. And I’m probably just as crazy as the rest of them.”

Kara’s hand found Lena’s and she squeezed it tightly as she shook her head. “You’re not crazy, Lena.”

“That’s what everyone used to think about my family. Look what happened to them. And now I know I have the same genetic make-up. It’s probably only a matter of time before I snap too.”

Kara pulled her chin until Lena was looking into steely-blue eyes. The worry was gone, hidden by the conviction that had suddenly taken root in her face. “That’s not going to happen, Lena. I know you. And I know it doesn’t seem like it, but nothing has changed from when you didn’t know your father. They are not who defines you. _You_ define who you are.”

“But things _have_ changed!” Lena exclaimed, suddenly overcome. “My whole life, after everything horrible thing I watched them do, I have always been able to say to myself that at least I wasn’t like them. It is the only thought that has ever given me any sort of protection. That I was different, so maybe I could change things.”

“You still can, Lena. I know you’re overwhelmed right now and I know you can’t see it, but you are a strong, kind, super-intelligent, _amazing_ woman. And if I have to tell you that every day to make you believe it, then I will,” Kara declared firmly, leaning her head on top of Lena’s. “You don’t have to be alone anymore. I’m here with you.”

That broke something deep inside, stopping whatever argument Lena had left. So she allowed herself to be held, to be comforted by Kara’s words, despite her brain telling her she shouldn’t. She had no more energy to fight, and she pressed her aching skull into Kara’s shoulder, trying to relieve some of the pressure.

After a few minutes of silently trying to compose herself, Lena pulled her head back, thinking she was probably making Kara uncomfortable. “I’m sorry,” she said, grimacing. “I just… I have such a headache.”

Kara shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You should have said something sooner. You know what always makes me feel better when I have a headache?”

“What?” Lena asked quietly.

Kara felt around until she found a pillow and patted it on her lap. “Here, lay down. Alex always does this for me. It’s great.”

Lena hesitated. She was so unused to having someone care for her. “You don’t have to, Kar-”

Kara reached out and pulled Lena down until her head was resting on the pillow. “I want to. Just close your eyes and relax. If you don’t like it, I promise I’ll stop.”

Any further protest Lena had died on her lips as Kara’s fingers found her hair, easing it gently out of its ponytail and smoothing out the strands. Fingertips started to scratch at her scalp, and Lena let out a little moan of approval. She couldn’t believe how good it felt.

“See?” Kara whispered. “Told you.”

“Mm-hmm,” hummed Lena.

They stayed that way for a while, Kara’s hands working in Lena’s hair, as Lena’s eyes drifted shut. The whole week was catching up to her quickly. She was exhausted, body and soul.

“That help a little?” Kara asked some time later, one hand lightly running over Lena’s cheek.

“Yes,” Lena answered, sitting up slowly. “Thank you.”

“Do you need anything? Some pain meds, something to eat? I could make us some tea.”

Lena’s stomach clenched at the thought of eating anything and she shook her head vigorously. “I’m not very hungry. But tea sounds nice.”

“Okay. You wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

Kara got up and scurried to the kitchen, where she rummaged around before filling a kettle and putting it on the stove. Lena kicked her shoes off and placed them between herself and the armrest of the sofa, so Kara wouldn’t trip over them. She sat back and closed her eyes again, huddling deeper into the blanket around her shoulders. It smelled like Kara, a fact that loosened a knot from her chest.

She was startled by Kara coming back a minute later, holding out some clothes. “Here, Lena. I thought you might want to put something more comfortable on. Sweatpants okay?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Lena said, accepting the sweats and the t-shirt.

“You can change back in the bedroom if you want,” Kara said, gesturing to her bed, before suddenly breaking into a goofy grin. “Don’t worry; I promise I won’t peek.”

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Lena found herself laughing. “You are a dork, Kara Danvers.”

Kara grinned widely, clearly all too pleased with herself. Right then, a whistling started up from the stove, distracting her from whatever she had been planning to say next. “Meet you back here,” she said instead. “Take your time.”

Lena brought the clothes back to Kara’s bed and changed slowly, her muscles relaxing as the soft fabric met her skin. The pants were a little long, so she tied the drawstring and rolled the waistband once. Glad to be out of her tight skirt and stiff blouse, she made her way back to the living room. She gathered up her shoes, and the coat that was draped over the back of the couch, and placed them with her clothes under the coat rack by the door. Then she sat back down on the couch, curling her feet underneath her and pulling the blanket over her legs.

Kara came back with two steaming mugs, handing one to Lena before sitting and covering her legs with the blanket as well. “How about we just relax for the rest of night, and if you’re feeling better tomorrow we can talk more. Sound good?”

“Yes,” Lena agreed, taking a careful sip of her tea. It was her favorite kind, something that she vaguely recalled telling Kara months ago. The fact that Kara had remembered caused an unknown feeling to blossom in her chest, and she swallowed thickly before managing a quiet thank you.

Kara flicked the TV on with the remote, turning the volume down low, and finished off her mug in less than a minute. Lena nursed hers for a while, taking measured sips and letting the warmth fill her from the inside. Kara’s hands found her hair again, playing with the strands as they sat in comfortable silence. The other woman even took the mug when Lena had finished and placed it on the table for her.

The gentle hands and reassuring eyes, along with the background noise from the TV, were slowly starting to soothe Lena, and she found herself leaning further and further to the side, until eventually her head was on Kara’s shoulder and her legs were strung out across the rest of the couch. The TV was blurring in front of her eyes, her eyelids getting heavier by the second.

She made a sleepy noise of protest and tried to move, but Kara kept her in place with an arm. Lena tried one last time to voice what her mind was telling her. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “You shouldn’t have to –”           

“Shh,” Kara stopped her. “I’m happy to. You deserve to be taken care of, Lena. You deserve to be happy too.”

And maybe it was because Lena was so out of it – or maybe it was the fact that she couldn’t remember a moment like this in her entire life, where she was safe and warm and with someone who actually, truly cared for her – but she was fading fast and snuggling closer into Kara’s side and her mouth was opening and she was speaking, not even aware of the words leaving her lips.

“’m always happy with you.” Her words were slurred and she was so tired, and so, so comfy. “I love you so much, Kara. If only…”

Her thoughts were getting murkier with each second. One last turn of her head and her nose was buried in Kara’s shoulder, and the much-needed sleep was dragging her under.

“If only you felt the same," she whispered.


	6. In which Kara shows Lena the stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I actually wrote this... I'm kinda proud?
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for reading and double thanks for everyone who's commented! Means a lot to me. :)

Lena woke on Kara’s couch the next morning, the blanket overtop her dangling off the side, along with her arm. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, as yesterday’s events came back to her in bits and pieces. She could still feel the remnants of her headache, so she kept her eyes closed for a while. She rolled onto her back and stretched languidly, letting out a low groan as she felt her spine crack a little.

“Lena?” Kara called quietly from the direction of the kitchen. “You awake?”

“Mmm,” Lena moaned. “That’s debatable.”

She heard Kara come over to the end of the couch where her head was still resting. She reached up and blindly found Kara’s arm so she would know where she was. Kara took her hand in both of her own and rubbed her knuckles with her thumb. “How are you feeling, sleepyhead?”

“Better,” Lena said, sleep still thick in her voice. “What time is it?”

“Just past eight. You really didn’t sleep that long. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to go back to bed.”

Lena opened her eyes and shook her head, trying to get rid of the lingering grogginess. “Not if you’re up. You must have slept even less than I did.” She sat up slowly, Kara helping her with a grip at her elbow and shoulder. She raked a hand through her hair and blinked her eyes a couple times, finally starting to feel more alert. “’Morning,” she yawned.

“Good morning.” Kara laughed. She was dressed in a loose-fitting shirt and a different pair of sweats than she had been wearing last night. “Would you like something for breakfast? Just, fair warning: if you say anything other than cereal, you’re going to have to make it yourself.”

Lena’s stomach growled loudly, her body very aware of the last time she had fed it. “Warning accepted. I think I can manage to whip up a couple of eggs. If you actually have some, that is.”

Kara groaned and gave Lena a playful shove. “That was one time! I didn’t feel like going to the store again! How was I supposed to know how detrimental they were in making those cookies?”

“I’m only teasing,” Lena said as they made their way to the kitchen and Kara pulled out a frying pan for her. She got the egg carton out of the refrigerator and took the spatula Kara offered her. “Think you can manage to not burn the toast?”

They ate their breakfast – the toast was only _slightly_ burnt – sitting at the island in the kitchen. The sustenance made Lena feel immensely better, the tendrils of headache disappearing completely by the time she washed down her meal with the juice Kara had poured for them.

For once, Kara had not wolfed down her food as soon as it was placed in front of her, and she was still working on her plate when Lena finished hers. She was moving the fork from her plate to her mouth almost robotically, looking like she was lost in thought. “Is something wrong, Kara?”

Kara jolted and shook her head quickly. “No! Sorry, I was just thinking.” Her hand that wasn’t holding her fork began to fidget on the table.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Lena asked, stilling Kara’s hand with her own.

For some reason, Kara turned three shades of red and shook her head even more vigorously, her gaze falling just short of their hands on the table, eyes wide. “Maybe, uh… maybe later,” she said weakly. She quickly shoved a large forkful of food into her mouth, choking slightly as her cheeks bulged before she was able to swallow.

Lena didn’t push it, not wanting to make Kara uncomfortable, even though she wasn’t quite sure what had just happened. “I should probably check my phone,” she said, changing the subject. “There’s probably loads of calls waiting for me to deal with. Not to mention emails.”

That seemed to shake Kara out of whatever funk she had gotten herself into. “Please tell me you aren’t planning to go into work today,” she pleaded anxiously. “You can take one day off, right? Surely people will understand that.”

“I can. I am the CEO after all,” Lena replied, trying for a joking tone. Kara just continued to look at her in worry, so she added more in a softer voice. “I already gave everyone at L-Corp the weekend off. But I do need to make sure the police haven’t tried to contact me for anything.”

Kara gave her a sheepish look, finishing up her food. “About that…” she trailed off, chewing, and continued when she had swallowed. “I may have called Maggie before you woke up and made her promise not to let anyone bother you today.”

Kara seemed to take Lena’s stunned silence the wrong way, for she quickly tried to justify her action. “I just thought that you and I could spend the day together and relax,” she said in the rush of syllables that meant she was well on her way to fretting. “I understand if you don’t want to, and maybe I should’ve asked you first, but you just seemed so tired last night and it doesn’t seem like you’ve had any fun at all in the past couple weeks and I just wanted to help–”

Lena stopped her before she could ramble any further. “Kara, of course I would love to spend the day with you. That was very sweet of you. I was just a little surprised. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone do something like that for me.”

Kara let out a sigh of relief. “Well, you have me now.” One of her hands went to the small chain around her neck and began to fiddle with it. “And you were right earlier; there is something I want to talk to you about. Just maybe in a little while?”

“Take your time. I’m here whenever you’re ready. Maybe in the meantime, I could use your shower?”

“Of course,” Kara said, looking grateful. “It’s all yours. Do you need some clothes to change into?”

“I think I can manage with what I have, thank you.” Lena got up, pushing her chair in. Kara declined her offer to help with the dishes, so she made her way to the bathroom, grabbing her clothes from where she had left them in a pile. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

If she thought the food had done her good, the hot water and steam from the shower were even more of a relief. She washed her hair using a little bit of Kara’s shampoo, her nose taking in the familiar scent. She stayed in a lot longer than she meant to, as her muscles relaxed under the heat.

She eventually got out and toweled off, frowning down at the heap of clothes on the floor. She really didn’t feel like putting her business clothes back, especially considering how nice a day of relaxation sounded. Lena couldn’t really say she had ever had one before, but she knew you were at least supposed to wear comfy clothes during one. So without any further debate, she put Kara’s sweats back on.

When she came out of the bathroom, Kara had cleaned up the kitchen and was curled up on the sofa, listening to the news on the TV. The blanket had been folded and the pillow put away. Kara looked up as Lena sat beside her. “Better?” she asked.

“Yes,” Lena replied. “I needed that.” She didn’t think she’d ever get enough of Kara asking things like that. Showing how much she cared. She knew it was only fair of her to return the favor. She nudged Kara with her knee. “You ready to talk?”

Kara was silent a beat too long, and it was Lena’s turn to ramble. “It’s okay if you’re not. I just want to make sure this isn’t about me ignoring you for the last couple weeks. I’m truly sorry about that. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t know how to deal with any of it, I guess. Like I said, I’m not used to having people care about me.”

Kara shook her head. “No, I could never be mad at you for that. I understand why you couldn’t talk to anyone. And you’re here now, aren’t you? You reached out when you needed it most, and I’m proud of you for that.”

Lena let out a string of breath, greatly relieved that Kara understood. “What is it, then?” she asked softly, trying to sound encouraging. “I know something’s bothering you.”

“It’s just… I’ve been meaning to ask you–” Kara tilted her head back and bit her lip, looking like she was searching for words. “Last night, you… do you remember what happened last night? Right before you feel asleep?”

“Um,” Lena racked her brain in confusion. “I may have been a little out of it. We were drinking tea, and I must have fallen asleep at some point…”

 _Did I actually fall asleep on her shoulder? I didn’t spill my cup on her, did I? God forbid, did I_ drool _on her?_ _Time to admit defeat._ “You may have to remind me.”

“You _were_ half-asleep.” Kara gave a nervous chuckle, her fingers fiddling with a strand of her hair. “Okay, well, you… youkindofsaidyouloveme.”

Lena wasn’t quite sure she had caught that. Surely she couldn’t have heard that right. “What?”

Kara let out a frustrated breath, blushing fiercely, before saying it more slowly. “You said you love me. And I know you didn’t mean it in a friend way.”

“I-I, oh God, Kara, I- I’m sorry,” Lena choked. “I didn’t mean for you to fi-find out like- like that.” Her face was heating up enough to put Kara’s blush to shame.

“No. Let me finish,” Kara cut her off quickly. She turned so her whole body was facing Lena, seeming more emboldened than a minute previously. “You said you love me, and then you implied that you think I don’t feel that way too. So what I want to ask you is: how can I make you see that I feel the same way?”

Lena’s brain was short-circuiting. When had she fallen back asleep? “I- you- what?”

A gentle hand came up to cup Lena’s cheek. “I feel the same way, Lena. I have for so long. It just took me a while to realize it. I was trying to work up the courage to tell you.”

Lena had never felt this rattled in her life. “You mean you lo– like me too?”

“Yes,” Kara breathed, a nod punctuating her statement. She had somehow gotten closer without Lena noticing. “Can I show you?”

Lena nodded in a daze, unsure of what Kara meant. Her nerves were occupied with the contact on her face, with the thumb that was rubbing her jaw lightly. 

Then Kara’s face was impossibly close, and their noses were bumping together slightly, and Lena could feel the smile and little huff of air as Kara laughed, and then Kara’s lips were on hers.

Lena could do nothing but sit in shock for a few seconds, but then reality hit her – the fact that this was real, actually real, not just some crazy fantasy – and she kissed Kara back, her eyes closing. Kara’s hand moved to her hair, and Lena gripped both of Kara’s arms, pulling her closer.

Eventually, they both pulled away for some air, foreheads leaning against each other.

Kara grinned widely, hand still cradling Lena’s head. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

Lena let out a panted laugh, feeling like she was floating on air. “I’ve wanted to do that since the day we met.”

Kara raised an eyebrow, a gesture Lena felt more than she saw. “Yeah?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” Lena admitted. “I was perfectly fine with being friends once we got to know each other, but yes.”

Kara kissed her again.

“So?” Kara asked, pulling back with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Still perfectly fine with it?”

Lena was beginning to think that she was just as out of it as she had been the previous night, with how sluggish her brain was at trying to keep up right then. All she could focus on was the feeling of Kara right in front of her. “With what?” she asked.

“Just being friends.”

It took Lena a couple minutes to answer, as she continued to meet Kara’s lips eagerly.

“Definitely _not_.”

…

It was a week after they had confessed their feelings and started dating and Lena was nervous.

She was so nervous, and it was absolutely ridiculous because she had no reason to be. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been alone with Kara before. But this was different.

Because this was the day of their first official date, and Lena really, _really_ wanted to get it right. She had a surprise in store for Kara, and hoped it would go over well.

But she had the whole day to finish before she could find out.

Kara had promised to text her as soon as she had finished up at CatCo, although they both were prepared for it to be late. Lena had managed to convince her to meet at her office, telling her they could leave from there. Kara thought they had reservations at a restaurant, but Lena had a different plan. If she could survive her nerves long enough to get there, that was.

Work was a welcome distraction, and before she knew it she was finishing up for the day. Her phone pinged shortly after she shut down her computer, and her heart stuttered when she saw it was a text from Kara.

 **Kara Danvers <3:** _All done and on my way. Be there in twenty minutes :)_

Lena hustled from her chair, knowing she had to prepare. A quick glance out at her balcony and Lena realized it was almost dusk. Which was perfect for her plan, as long as she could set everything up in time.

She was all ready and waiting in the lobby by the time Kara got there. “Hey there, you,” she greeted as soon as Kara had made it through the doors, walking over and placing a hand on top of the one gripping her cane.

“Hey yourself,” Kara replied, leaning in for a quick kiss, which Lena was more than happy to reciprocate.

“How was your day?” God, Lena hoped she would never get over the heady rush she felt whenever she looked at Kara. She could live with feeling this giddy all the time. It was wonderful.

“It was good,” Kara said, smiling. She took off her glasses and tucked them into the bag on her shoulder. “But it’s better now that I’m with you.”

_Won-der-ful._

“So, where are we going? You still haven’t told me.”

The question caused the butterflies to start moving in Lena’s stomach again, bringing back her nervousness from earlier in the day. “Before that, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind coming upstairs with me for a moment? There’s something I want to show you.”

“Of course I don’t mind.” Kara held out her elbow for Lena, and they made their way over to the elevator together, leaning into each other and smiling. It reminded Lena of the first time she had taken Kara up to her office. But it was a thousand times better, because now Kara was her girlfriend and they were about to have their first date and _Kara was her girlfriend_ and Lena didn’t think she’d ever get tired of those words in that particular order.

She used her key card to take them all the way up the top of L-Corp, to the rooftop access that only she and the maintenance crew were able to get to. The doors opened to reveal the beautiful evening, and they stepped out to a slight breeze that Lena loved to feel from her balcony. It was even better up here, with no wall buffer behind them.

Kara stilled as she realized they were outside. “Are we on the roof?” she asked, confused. “Is what you want to show me up here?”

Lena squeezed Kara’s hand, out of her own nerves more than anything else. “Actually, I may have gotten our dinner delivered here and planned out a picnic since it’s such a lovely evening. Does that sound all right?”

She took Kara’s beaming smile as a good sign. “That sounds perfect, Lena.”

Lena led Kara over to the blankets she had set up, guiding her to sit on one of the pillows. She sat beside her and watched as Kara took in the candles that she had strategically placed behind them so that the breeze would blow the scent towards them. They were the kind with the wicks that crackled while they burned, adding another layer to the atmosphere. They were high enough up that most of the city noise couldn’t reach them, so the sounds from the candles could be heard.

“This is amazing,” Kara said. “It feels so nice out here. I can’t believe you did all this.”

“I also may have gotten you something,” Lena said quietly, picking up the object that was resting on top of the basket containing their dinner. She placed the thin plastic disc in Kara’s hands and watched as Kara puzzled over the little pinpricks all over it, her brow crinkling adorably.

It took Kara a few seconds to find the braille near the bottom, and she let out a little gasp of understanding as her fingers traced over the words. _Tactile Planisphere_ , it read, something Lena had looked up when she bought it.

Kara turned to her then, and Lena would have given anything to capture the look of wonder on her face in that moment. “Lena… is this… I…”

“I remember what you told me about going out on your roof with Alex when you lived in Midvale. So I thought maybe, after dinner, we could look at the stars together?”

Kara pulled Lena to her then, kissing her passionately. “I would love to,” she said.

Lena chuckled, tucking some hair behind Kara’s ear. “But dinner first. I got us your favorite – very unhealthy, may I just say – meal from Noonan’s.”

She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Kara’s smile got even bigger. Lena was going to have to start keeping her phone camera primed at all times if Kara was going to keep this up.

“You are the best, Lena Luthor, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

…

 

“I still don’t quite see how it’s supposed to be a dog.”

They were lying on the backs with their heads propped up on some pillows, Lena mostly listening as Kara talked about the stars. Kara had her star chart extended in her arms above her head, one hand guiding Lena’s fingers over it.

“Well, the triangle part is supposed to be the head, and Sirius is the heart,” Kara explained, moving Lena’s finger over the parts she was talking about. “And then you have the body line and the legs, and this is the tail.”

“I mean, I see it, but I still think it’s quite a bit of a stretch. I could draw a better dog when I was four.”

“I bet you could, Ms. Destined-to-Be-An-Engineer.”

“I _did_ have a drawing tutor, but that’s beside the point,” Lena said, poking Kara’s cheek. “Show me another one.”

“Hmm, okay. Can you find Orion’s Belt?”

Lena took Kara’s hand and pointed at the trio of stars in a line. She could just barely see them along the edge of the building in the direction of their feet. “That’s easy. It points to Sirius. Those are pretty much the only ones I recognize easily.”

Kara pulled their hands back over to her map, running them along the cluster of pinpricks that formed Orion. “How much light pollution is there? Can you even see anything? You’re not just humoring me, are you?”

Lena moved her body closer to Kara’s, snuggling into her side. “Of course not. There’s quite a bit of light, but I can still see some things. As much as I’ll ever be able to, with all the lights in National City.”

“Good, ‘cause I wouldn’t want you to get bored looking at nothing while I’m going on and on and on.”

Lena pulled Kara’s hand down and kissed it lightly. “You could never bore me. I love it when you ramble on excitedly. Besides, you put up with me when I’m throwing out physics jargon left and right.”

“You’re cute when you do that. Point taken,” Kara stated. “Maybe one day we could go visit Eliza out in Midvale and I could show you what the stars look like from there.”

“Like a vacation?”

“Yeah!” Kara said. The enthusiasm on her face was highlighted by the subtle light from the candles. Although it quickly turned to teasing. “You ever take one of those, Ms. CEO?”

Lena thought about it for a second before realizing that the answer was a resounding negative. She deflected. “You sure are heavy on the nicknames tonight. Is this what dating you entails?”            

“I’m taking that as a no,” Kara said softly. “We are definitely going now. You’ll love it. The house is right by the ocean.”

“Okay,” Lena said, fiddling with Kara’s fingers, which were now resting near their stomachs. “Maybe we could go after everything’s settled with Lillian’s trial?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s perfect.” They laid in silence for a few minutes then, until Kara rolled on her side to face Lena, putting out her hand to trace her cheek. “Thank you, Lena.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For this amazing evening, and everything you’ve done, and for letting me get to be here with you, and just… just _everything.”_

Lena laughed, and she couldn’t help but shake her head. “I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

They weren’t that far apart, but Kara drew closer still, so they could each feel the other breathing. “How about we agree that we’re both very thankful for each other?”

“That sounds good,” Lena whispered, looking right into Kara’s eyes.

They kissed again then, and even though Lena had her eyes closed, she swore that Kara somehow managed to light up the whole sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think? I'm gonna add a little bonus for one last chapter.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first, THIS IS SHORT DON'T YELL AT ME. (See my note below, please. After reading!)
> 
> Second, I don't care what happens in canon, you can pry my Maggie & Lena lesbian brotp out of my cold, dead fists. 
> 
> And there's a smidge of angst in here because Lena's life has a lot of angst and I just want to deal with it properly, i.e. have Kara make it all better. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!

“Now, Maggie!” Alex exclaimed. “Do it now!”

The Danvers sisters and their girlfriends were all gathered together in Alex’s apartment for a movie night after their long day in court. Today had been the last day of Lillian’s trial, so Kara and Alex and Maggie had all planned an easy night in to relax and unwind. They had ordered takeout and Kara and Alex entertained them with funny stories about them growing up, which had them all laughing, and everything was just right.  

It was what they all needed after a long week, and they had just gotten settled on the sofa when Kara had asked Maggie if she could see what she looked like.  

(“What you _actually_ look like,” Kara had said. “Not the lovesick, incoherent babble I get each time I ask Alex.”)

So Kara’s hands were tracing her face, and at her girlfriend’s prompting, Maggie broke into a wide smile, right as Kara’s fingers reached the bottom of her cheek.

“Aww!” Kara gushed, running her index finger over the spot of interest a couple times. “You’re right, Alex! Her dimples _are_ adorable.”

“I told you I wasn’t making it up,” Alex said with a triumphant smile. “It’s the only way to describe them.”

“Okay, I admit it. You’re right and I shouldn’t have accused you of being shot with a love ray. Although you totally have.”

"It's not like you're any better, Kara." Alex reached across Maggie and swatted Kara’s hand lightly. “Hands off. You have your own girlfriend now.”

Kara stuck her tongue out at Alex before her face was taken over by a dopey smile. She leaned into Lena, who was snuggled up beside her. “I do, don’t I?”

“Yes,” Lena said, sitting up to kiss Kara’s lips. “And so do I.”

“Finally,” Maggie said. “I swear if I had to watch you two skirt around each other one more day, I was gonna lock you up in holding for a night.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, even I could see it. But spill it, you two. We’ve waited long enough. Who made the first move?”

Kara smiled, and Lena could feel a blush working its way onto her face. “Lena did,” Kara said, bumping her girlfriend’s shoulder. “She sleep-confessed her feelings for me. I probably wouldn’t have said anything otherwise.”

“Hah!” Maggie exclaimed, startling Lena, and turned to Alex. Her grin was wide. “You owe me fifty bucks, Danvers! And a bonsai tree! And those awesome new handcuffs of yours!”

“Ugh,” Alex grumbled. “I never should have shown you those.”

That made Lena look up. She leaned forward from where she was resting against Kara and regarded the two women, eyebrow raised. “Handcuffs, huh?”

“Okay!” Kara interjected loudly. “First of all, sibling present in the room,” she said, giving Lena a little shove. Lena took it as her cue and curled up against Kara’s chest in apology. “Second of all, you guys bet on us?” She addressed the last question to the pair next to her, giving the two women an incredulous look.

“Well, I said Lena was going to say something first,” Maggie explained. She put her hands on Alex’s shoulders, which slumped in defeat at her girlfriend’s joyful tone. “Alex said since Lena had gone this long without saying anything, you were going to be the one. But looks like I was right after all.

“And for the record, Luthor, I’m talking work handcuffs,” Maggie added. “Danvers here gets all the cool toys, and I’m stuck with the boring police-grade stuff. But mine work just fine for what you’re thinking of,” she teased, giving Lena a wink.

Kara let out a scandalized “Eww!” and Alex hastily tried to silence Maggie from embarrassing her further with an elbow to the ribs. “She’s kidding, Kara!” the older sister swore.

Maggie smirked at Lena, giving her a look as if to say, “Am I really, though?” Lena laughed as Kara huffed and buried her face in Lena’s hair, muttering something about “unnecessary brain images”.

“How about that movie?” Alex asked, clearly wanting to change the subject. Kara quickly nodded in agreement, causing both Lena and Maggie to laugh at their girlfriends’ discomfort. Lena moved nearer to Kara, who wrapped her arms around her waist, giving Lena room to cuddle closer. Alex grabbed the remote and hit some buttons, the movie they had all agreed on starting up a few minutes later.

Lena lost focus before the title could even make its way to the screen, however, her mind drifting back to the day’s events. Lillian had been found guilty and sentenced to prison, and while Lena hadn’t been surprised – she had been the one to call the police, after all – she still felt… well, she wasn’t quite sure what she felt. And that sort of bothered her.

Seeing Lillian being taken away one final time had been hard. Lena thought she had put it all behind her, but watching her maternal figure – all that was really left of whatever family she had had – being sentenced to the same fate as her brother had brought up all the emotions she had been trying to bury. Her need to do the right thing and the need to prove her worth to her parents had always clashed within her as a child, and the trial had brought all the familiar churning feelings back.

But Lena wasn’t the same person she’d been as a child, and now things were different. Because Kara had been right there with her, sitting right up front with her, holding her hand the whole time. Alex, Maggie, Winn, and James had been there too; they had all taken off work to be there, and the six of them had taken up an entire courtroom bench by themselves.

She had a support system now, and maybe it was going to take some getting used to, but she was so tremendously grateful for all of them. Her life had truly changed for the better since she met everybody.

She was completely lost in thought at this point, but she must have fidgeted or made a noise or clutched a little too hard at Kara’s arm around her waist, because Kara broke her attention away from the TV and quietly asked, “You okay?”

Lena looked at the screen and realized she’d missed a good chunk of the movie. “Yes,” she whispered, nodding into Kara’s chest. “Just thinking about today. I’m glad it’s finally over.”

Kara freed a hand so she could begin to stroke through Lena’s hair. “We can leave if you want. I know it’s been a long week for you.”

Lena noticed that someone had paused the movie, and both Alex and Maggie were looking at her now. She swallowed thickly, realizing she had three people who were worried about her right then. She cleared her throat, speaking so they all could hear. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. I like being here with everyone. And besides,” she said, motioning to the door, where a bunch suitcases were gathered. “We planned to sleep here so we could all leave early tomorrow. I’ve been looking forward to taking this trip with all of you.”

That got her three smiles, and Kara kissed her forehead. “Just wanted to check. And we’re going to have so much fun. Eliza is excited we’re coming. I’m glad we all get to go.”

There was a chorus of me-toos and yeahs and then Alex asked if they wanted to finish the movie. Lena insisted that they do because she knew how much Kara was enjoying it. Kara and she fell back into their previous positions as it started up again, Lena not even bothering to look at the screen this time. She focused instead on Kara. Her girlfriend was completely enthralled, her ear tilted toward the TV so she could take in every little detail, her face crinkled adorably in concentration.

A little while later, Lena noticed Alex’s head bobbing against Maggie’s out of the corner of her eye, and she noticed Maggie’s eyes were already closed when she glanced over at the two. She yawned just from looking at them, her own eyelids getting heavy.

Kara seemed to be the only one not fighting sleep, but she didn’t seem to mind when Lena maneuvered herself so she was pretty much just sitting in Kara’s lap, her head tucked against Kara’s collarbone and her legs stretched out in the space she had just vacated. Kara just wrapped an arm around Lena’s back and placed the other across Lena’s thighs and laughed when Lena sleepily nuzzled her shoulder.

And Lena fell asleep like that, peacefully. She was excited for tomorrow, and the day after, and for all the days yet to unfold. Because maybe she didn’t know what would come, but she would face it all with Kara, and the future looked nothing but bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was going to make this a full chapter and have them actually get to Midvale, but... I ran out of ideas. And I was going to ask if anyone had any prompts anyway, so I figured this would work too. 
> 
> I would love to write more for this AU - like maybe some backstory on Kara first coming to the Danvers, and some Kara & Alex sister moments - so you tell me; is there anything you would like to see? Have any ideas on how their vacation would go? 
> 
> Please, tell me what you thought about the story, and let me know if you do have any prompts! And let me thank you one final time for reading! I hope you enjoyed all of it as much as I did. :)


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